Short Summary

An International anti-imperialist convention opened in Dublin on Monday (22 July) with Irish Republic attacks on British military and economic policy in Ireland.

Description

An International anti-imperialist convention opened in Dublin on Monday (22 July) with Irish Republic attacks on British military and economic policy in Ireland.

More than 100 young delegates from 15 countries -- mostly European -- gathered in Dublin's Liberty Hall for the "revolutionary" rally under the close surveillance of plain clothes police.

The gathering was organised by Sinn Fein, the political wing of the banned official Irish Republican Army. It drew a public statement of strong disapproval from the Irish government but no moves were made to ban it.

Militant socialist organisations, student groups and trade union representatives from Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Britain, Italy, the United States and Puerto Rico were listed as delegates. Eleven delegates were refused entry to the United Kingdom on their way to the conference.

The organisers took stringent precautions against any disruption of the meeting by extremists. Delegates had their credentials thoroughly checked and were searched before they were allowed into the building.

Sinn Fein General Secretary, Tony Heffernan told the meeting in a keynote speech that the Irish struggle was not against the British people but against the British government.

Mr. Heffernan also hit out at guerrilla bombers of the provisional Irish republican Army -- a rival to the official organisation. He accused the provisional of incurring "British opposition and hatred by senseless bombing campaigns in Britain". The officials I. R. A. has operated a ceasefire since 1972.

The conference was t continue in Dublin for a week, then move to Belfast in Northern Ireland for another week.